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>> Monday, December 29, 2008

Our Christmas post will be split into two posts. Our pre-christmas activities and then Christmas trip to G-town.

Lily had her Daycare party. Here are some pictures of her during it! Too cute. I want to go get her a Bee Bop band ASAP! I was waiting to make sure she did not get one for xmas before I bought it.

As many of you know I have been focusing on starting family traditions. What fun! Fun but stressful. Deciding on activities your family will treasure for years to come is a big deal! Our first of many trial traditions was the Durham Santa Train. Through a friend I had heard about the awesomeness of the Santa Train in Durham. The tickets go on sale in November and usually sell out within days. I had been trying to get tickets for weeks and finally last Saturday through Craiglist I won two tickets to the Sunday night (the last night) 7:00pm train. As many of you know this was during the Giants vs. Panthers game. Well the game started at 8:15pm but we would be in Durham. Okay so I won the tickets. Small problem...I had to pick them up in Hillsbourgh Sunday morning for her to give them to me. So I hop in the car for a total of TWO HOURS round trip. Get home, shower, get her ready and pretty much hop back in the car to drive BACK towards Durham to make our train. The description of the event said "the Durham Life and Science Museum is transformed into the North Pole where children take a magical train ride to see Santa" How cool does that sound. It also said there would be craft tables and free hot chocolate. We drive through scary parts of Durham, getting lost only twice! Then we arrive early (as to not interfere with the football game that my husband so disgruntly allowed us to be late for). I should mention it is about twenty degrees outside. COLD!

Bundled up in the cold!

We walk up. I see the craft table. Picture this....a six foot table.....construction paper....and some markers. I will say they had face painting at the end of the six foot table. Wow some craft table. We arrived an hour early for this?? Okay back to the car we go!

In the car getting warm!

To warm up, nurse and cuddle in hopes that Little Lily would be in a good mood. So we head back out to the train forty five minutes later. All bundled up. The train is in the station. I will say the train was cute. The conductor was conductorery looking as well. We board the train, which is open to the outside so we are still really cold. And the seat is not made for anyone over one hundred pounds. Lily is pulling off her hat! Her nose is red, she is already sick, she is crying anytime you put it on her. This is the our back up one but she hated both! It was craziness.

Hat #2

Seat tooo small!

The train starts going. Pretty fast if I do say. The conductor is talking but who the heck knows what he is saying because it is crackling over the speaker. We see a Santa waving at us and we all yell "Merry Christmas Santa!" then the train stops. Imagine a shack in the middle of the forest. Painted red. With icicle lights. Two wire reindeer you get from WalMart. And two teenage girl "elfs" passing out candy. And a cheesy twenty year old Santa!

Yes this is the North Pole. Santa comes by and talks to the kids, which doesn't benefit my six month old. She did get a candy cane though!

Some entertainment in a cold world...

Michael and I look at each other.

Michael: "this is it?"

Steph:"No this can't be it?"

Michael:"Steph, if he talks to all the kids it will take the whole time, this is it."

Steph: "No way I drove four hours round trip for this! It said 'transformed into the NOrth Pole' where is the snow? where are the presents, and elves, and toys??"

Michael: "Steph (laughing) this is it"

Steph: "This is Bull$*#%!"

So yes we drove all that way and it was a bust. Michael thought it was hysterical. Needless to say this will not be an Eads Family Tradition.

To make ourselves feel a little better we had a prechristmas present exchange. Mainly to eliminate some luggage to cart to G-town. Lily opened up her gift from the Loomis', and some from us! Her first gift from Mommy and Daddy was a set of blocks. She seemed to enjoy the paper more than the blocks!

Michael got a mousepad with Lily on it! Michael made me the most beautiful ornament with Lily! It is perfect! He took her to the pottery place and this was his final product!

This should tide you over until I get the Christmas pictures uploaded! Til then....